Video Demo Shows Off A Very Cool iPhone Trick That You Likely Don’t Know About

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are packed with an array of different sensors; some of which we take for granted cause hey, you paid over $600 for this beauty. But given the range of sensors they carry, both the devices offer possibilities to developers that maybe, just maybe Apple didn’t realize either. Ivo Leko has just posted a video on YouTube which capitalizes on the iPhone’s magnetometer, accelerometer and microphone to demonstrate how programs can be written to track a magnet’s position straight from your iPhone.

Leko shows us how the sensors can be utilized for tracking the magnet being moved along a grid on a piece of paper, where the iPhone is showing the position of the magnet on a scaled down grid on its screen in real-time. Leko demonstrates that the iPhone can not only track the magnet’s movement in 2D, but 3D as well.

Raising the magnet from the paper can be seen as a change of color for the cursor on the iPhone, which is depicting the location. Once raised, the color changes from solid black to grey and even lighter depending on how far up the magnet is from the surface.

Pressing down hard on the magnet gives off a red color for the cursor, and according to Leko, the integration of the microphone and accelerometer (to detect vibrations) helps make the entire process more accurate.

Lastly, Leko shows off a very useful app for the iPhone’s sensors; a “magnetic stylus for handwriting and painting.” He shows us how easy it is to write or draw on an iPhone using a strong magnet for now, in his prototype’s presentation. Leko points out the immense possibilities this opens up for developers and Apple likewise, in the form of virtual keyboards that use gloves housed with magnets, game controllers, gesture detectors etc.

Earlier, we found out that the A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is capable of playing 4K video, which was a shocker to most people given how Apple never advertised this key development. However, while that was more of an inherited feature, Leko’s display of his concept to harness the capabilities of the iPhone’s sensors should give more developers a shot at putting this to use on other smartphones out there as well.

For now we wait and watch, but Kudos to Ivo Leko for this amazing effort!

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doesnt make any sense thats an iPhone 4 in the video and they are only now bringing out the video?

plus the article mentions that the iPhone 6 and the 6+ come with a range of features etc.etc. if it was an iPhone 6 or 6+ i would believe the video but thats a 4 very sceptical…

Mnec

The video shows a iPhone 4

MICKEYBLACKEYES

Makes you want one? You can get an iPhone 4 for $20!

Al L.

You guys are too literal. Mr. Leko purposely used an older Smartphone, in this case a iPhone 4(or a 4S) in this demo. To showcase the innovation, via software logic that utilizes the components available in readily available devices. The iPhone 6 has all the same internal devices and more, so I can’t see how this wouldn’t work there, if not better and faster. Redmond Pie only mentioned iPhone 6 since it’s the most recently available phone.

Al L.

Why? The software logic that ties everything together to make this work is new and innovative, has nothing to do with how recent the smartphone is.

Red Ducati

“Excuse me while I put on a glove to use my phone.”

iTw3aks

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Coach McGurk

i love my Quad HD screen on my new Samdung phone that lags when I swipe or press the home button after only installing about 20 apps! I can’t wait to play laggy games when I order my Gear VR set!

Moviebox

Nah I want the 6+

Haraesh Jayalingam

What’s the point? Android as it is already requires high specs to run smooth. Increasing resolution just increases the load. I have never seen any Android device being refined before taking the next major step. For a tablet pc that resolution is acceptable but for a phone it’s just useless. You are not going to see the difference, unless you have microscopic vision

patrickco

Idiot, hi res is likely NOT for playing stupid retard-games – use ugly iBend for that.